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9x @@m Y 62X) Lin/Lamm UNITED STATES Y'PATENT OEEIcE.

ALVIN L. NICHOLS, OF GROVE CITY, OHIO.

TALLY-SH EET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.479,449, dated July 26, 1892.

Application filed October 17, 1891. Serial No. 409,022. (No model.)

T0 all whom, it may concern;

Be it known that I, ALVIN L. NICHOLS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grove City, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tally-Sheets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the improvement of election tally-sheets, and has for its objects the production of a tally-sheet of superior form and construction; to so arrange and construct said tally-sheet as to support the tallyspaces which are in alignment with the name of the candidate at all times adjacent to or near said name, and by this means not only admit of the tallying process being performed with greater rapidity, but obviate the tendency toward making such errors as arise through the outer tally-spaces being at positions remote from the candidates name; to combine therewith means for rapidly and accurately computing the number of votes; to so construct said tally-sheet as to admit of the totals being rapidly and accurately transferred to the back of the sheet; to admit of the tally-sheets for the various political parties being compactly and neatly arranged Within one cover and in a convenient position for use. These objects I accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a face view of my improved tally-sheets, showing the relative position of the same when folded. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same, showing, for the sakev of clearness, one of the sheets partially unfolded. Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of one of the tally' sheets partially unfolded. Fig. 4 is a face view of a portion of a tally-sheet shown completely unfolded, and Fig. 5 is a view of the reverse side of the outer end portion of the partial sheet shown in Fig. 4.

Similar letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

a represents a suitable cover or backingpiece, which is formed of paper or other suitable iieXible material.

b represent my improved tally-sheets, each of which is formed, as shown in the drawings, of one strip or sheet of paper. Each of these sheets o consists, as shown, of a number of vertical folds, as indicated at b', b2, b3, b4, and b5.

In Figs. 4 and 5 the vertical and parallel dotted lines h6, 197,58, and b9 indicate the foldin g-lines, said folding-lines being arranged at equidistant points. The folds b', b2, b3, and

o4 are of corresponding widths, While the fold b5, which forms a lip or extension of the outer fold b4, is comparatively narrow, as shown. Each of the folds b2 has its rear face affixed to the backing-sheet a,these connections with said backing-sheets being made at equidistant points thereon.

W'hen folded and not in actual use each of the tally-sheets is arranged as shown in Fig. l of the drawings-vl. c., the fold b3 rests upon the fold b3, the fold b5 is turned against the under side of the fold b4, the latter resting upon the fold b2, and the fold o is turned to rest upon the fold b4. As will readily be seen, this arrangement results in the tally-sheet being folded in a compact form and in reducing the area of space covered by each of said tally-sheets to the width of one of the folds. As shown in the drawings, both faces c and c of the first fold Z9 have Written, printed, pasted, or otherwise produced thereon and at the head thereof the name of one of the political parties. Beneath each of these party names or titles are arranged between suitable horizontal parallel lines the titles of the officers to be voted for, and beneath said titles are left spaces for the names of the candidates. The face of each tally-sheet, which corresponds with the face c of the fold b', has printed thereon intersecting rule-lines, which result, as shown, in the formation of, preferably, two rows of tallyspaces f, which form extensions or continuations of the official title-spaces of said face c. These double rows of tally spaces or squares, which extend from the inner ends of the official title-spaces, are continued throughout the folds b2, b3, and b4, extending to the foldingline b9. Immediately above the upper row of tally-spaces are arranged parallel therewith twok rows of number-spaces f', the spaces of said rows corresponding in number with the tally-spaces beneath. As shown in the draw- IOO ings, the tally and number spaces above mentioned are preferably so divided as to cause each row of spaces upon any one fold to contain ten of the spaces, thus making five tal lies in each of said spaces. The total number of tallies in each row of any one fold is fifty. The number of tallies marked are,how ever, indicated by the numbers which appear in the number-spaces f. In the upper row of said number-spaces, beginning at the left with the figure 5 are arranged, consecutively in multiples of` live, numbers Whichindicate the number of tallies which should appear in one of the tally squaresor spacesin vertical alignment with said number, assuming that allthe tally-spaces are filled up to andincludingthetally-space indicated. In

the lower row of number-spaces f are ar ranged from left to right: multiples of five, which run from 5 to 50 on each fold. Op-

positevtheouterend of the number-spaces ff is printed or otherwise made to appear at the h'eadof. the fold b5 the word Total, andlbe-` neath the said Wordwlotal the` horizontalz lines whichformthe upper andllower'boundary` of the tally-spacesare continued tothe@ outer -edgeofsaid totalfoldto form horizontal parallel-spaces, upOmWhichmay-be Written figures representing the number ofvotes cast for each candidate.

Asshown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, theurear face yof the folds b3and Zhave printed thereonfhorizontal lines g, which register with the horizontal lines on the opposite side of the sheet which formthe upper and lower` boundariesof'each pair of tally-spaces.`

Each of,V thesheets-being folded, as shown'I in Fig. 1 of the drawings,with` the faeesc of the folds b uppermost, the method'ofopeningI and'usingmy improved tally-sheet is as--follows: The fold b is turned outward or reversed to bring its side or face o uppermost.

The folds b4 b3, although remaining doubled againsteach other, are turned at the foldingline `197 to bring the printed andruled faces of: the folds b2 and b3 uppermostand in alignment with theface o of the fold b. Asfthe `votes are read, the tallies for each candidate are marked, as-indicated in Figui of the drawings,y .in the tally-spacesopposite said candidatas name and title of the office, beginning inthe upper row of said tally-spaces and continuing fromleft to right until one ofgsaid candidates shall have receivedsufcient tallies to fill `the `tally-spaces of the upper row throughout-thelwidthof the first fold'bor until said candidate shall have received fifty votes. Fiftyvotes having thus been tallied, the face of thefold. b2 is covered by turning the fold b over thesame, which, as willreadily be seen, result in bringing the names uponv the face c of thefold bf adjacent to the tallyrows of thespace b3. Asthe votes are read theyare tallied upon the fold b3, beginning. withthe first spaces to the left thereof, as prescribed for the fold b2. When a row of quired, I cause the opposite end of the sheet.

tally-spaces on said.` fold b3 shall have been completed, the fold b is reversed and the folds b3 and b4 together doubled over the fold b2, thus bringing the printed face of the fold b4 adjacent to the candidates names and oiicial titles. This having been done, the tallyingof the votes is continued, as before prescribed, upon the face of the fold b4. In case of any one row of tallying spaces thus becomes filled throughout its length the folds are again turned to the position first prescribed for tallying upon the fold b2, and the second rowiof spaces beneath said filled line isused, as prescribed, for the upper row. In this case the uncompleted rows of the folds are carried out with tally-marks as the votes are read, beginningfatthe printed heads',be fore folding. Allthe votes having thus been tallied upon the sheet, thetotal numbentallied foreach candidate isindicated by figures in the total column or foldl. In making up these totals, it is evident` that all thetallies marked for each candidate are added t0- gether, regardless of the fold upon-which they appear, and that where the rows of tally-spaces in the folds-are not completelyfilledwthe-to- Vtals-arereadilyascertained by reference to and adding the gures of.the.lower row of theA number-spaces f', which are vertically above the last tallies marked. Thenumbers of theupper row serve to givethe total. of votes tallied, Where thetally-spacesarecomplete throughout the fold-rows.

In order to transfer thetotalloff the-votes received by each` candidate to the reverse side of the tallysheet,asisordinarily rethe names of the candidates to be written on the rear side of each of the folds `b on the lines g, thus causing the Aname so `Writtento register or remainfin alignment with the names on the opposite side and at Upon the rear side of the fold b5, opposite said names so written, I cause to be Ywritten or printed the words Receivedvotes. the totals from the face `of the fold b5 onthe spaces between the words Received and Votes I. cause the foldb5 to be turned or foldedeinward to bring itsrear face against the rear face of thefold b4,which, as will readily be seen, result in bringing the numbers previously indicated iny the total columnin horizontal alignment with the spaces-between said words-Received and Votes, andadmittingof said numbers being readily trans-- ferred to said spaces withoutreferring to `the names of the candidates or the reverse side of the sheet. v

. By the construction herein shown and described it isevident that at no time during the tallying operation is the tally-clerk required to make the tallies at a greater distance than ten spaces fromthename ofi the candidate. In this manner the marking of the tallies rapidly and` accurately is greatly` facilitated, inasmuch as the time ordinarily In transferring IOO IIO

consumed in following out the tally-row to a tally-space remote from a candidates name is saved, and the close proXimity of the name and tally-space prevents the liability of making the tally in the Wrong space.

By my construction it will be seen that the totals of the votes received may be readily and accurately transferred to the reverse side of the tally-sheet and that said totals may be quickly ascertained by reference to the numbers of the spaces f.

From the arrangement and construction shown it is not only evident that a form of tally-sheet is produced in which speed and accuracy in counting votes may be obtained, but that the system of folding herein described fcrms a means of concentrating the tally-sheets in a neat and compact form.

Having noW fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a tally-sheet, the sheet Z), having, as described, two or more parallel folds, as b',

bibs, and b4, name-spaces on both faces of the first fold and registering with each other, tallyspaces on the remaining folds arranged opposite said name-spaces, and two rows of numbers in multiples of ve arranged, as described,

above said tally-spaces, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a tally-sheet, the sheet b, having, as described, twol or more parallel folds, as b b2 b3 b4, name-spaces on both faces of the first Ifold and registering With each other, tallyspaces on the remaining folds arranged opposite said name-spaces, number-spaces on the fold b5 and arranged in alignment with the tally-spaces, and name and number spaces on the opposite sides of the folds b3 b4, said lastmentioned spaces registering with the horizontal tally-rows of the opposite side of the sheet, substantially as described.

ALVIN L. NICHOLS.

In presence of C. C. SHEPHERD, Trios. S. GATES. 

